Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to slide-out support systems for recreational vehicles (xe2x80x9cRVsxe2x80x9d) such as trailers and motor homes and in particular to a slide-out support system which positions the floor of the slide-out room at approximately the same elevation as the floor of the stationary part of the RV.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In slide-out rooms of RVs, the simplest systems position the floor of the slide-out room a small step above the floor of the stationary portion of the vehicle. More complex systems, known as xe2x80x9cflat floorxe2x80x9d systems, have means for positioning the upper surface of the floor of the slide-out room at approximately the same elevation as the upper surface of the floor of the stationary part of the vehicle, from which the room is extended. The present invention relates to the types of systems in which the floor of the slide-out room is approximately level with the floor of the stationary room of the vehicle.
In the prior art, many flat floor slide-out support systems required tipping of the slide-out room as it was being extended in order to bring the floor to the level of the stationary room, and also tipping back when the room was retracted. The tipping required relative movement between the room and the slide-out rails, and angular changes in orientation relative to the stationary portion of the RV, so that either the tipping was difficult to control or complicated mechanisms were required. Other flat floor systems resulted in the floor remaining generally flat or horizontal as it was lowered to the level of the floor of the stationary room, but the mechanisms of these were generally complex or trouble prone.
The present invention provides a slide-out support system which lowers the slide-out room while maintaining the floor of the slide-out room generally in the same orientation relative to the stationary floor, i.e. generally flat and horizontal, as the floor is lowered to the level of the stationary floor.
The invention acccomplishes this by an improvement in which, with the room in the extended position, the system includes at least one downwardly facing ramped surface adjacent an inner end of the rail and another downwardly facing ramped surface spaced toward the outer end of the rail from the one ramped surface. The drive system is connected to each said rail to extend and retract the rail and rollers roll on the ramped surfaces to support each rail. Both of the ramped surfaces are ramped in a direction and positioned so as to lower each rail as the rollers roll on the ramped surfaces while maintaining a generally horizontal orientation of each rail as the rail is extended and to raise each rail while maintaining a generally horizontal orientation of the rail as the rail is retracted.
In a preferred form, the ramped surfaces are adjacent to one or both sides of the rail, and one ramped surface is stationary and the other ramped surface is fixed to the rail so as to move with the rail. A pair of ramped surfaces may be provided on opposite sides of the rail at an outer end of the rail and another pair of ramped surfaces may be provided on opposite sides of the rail spaced from the one pair of ramped surfaces toward the outer end of the rail, with rollers rolling on all of the ramped surfaces to support the rail generally horizontal as the rail is lowered as it is extended and raised as the rail is retracted.
To maintain the floor of the room in a substantially horizontal orientation as it is extended and lowered or retracted and raised, a follower is positioned between an upper surface of the rail and the floor of the moveable room. The follower maintains a constant spacing between the upper surface and the floor so as to maintain the orientation of the floor as the floor is lowered during extension and raised during retraction. The follower may have one roller which rolls on the inner rail surface and another roller which rolls on the bottom of the floor to accomplish this objective. This reduces scuffing of the stationary floor since contact between the bottom of the slide-out floor and top of the stationary floor is eliminated or minimized, helps establish and maintain the seals between the slide-out room and stationary portion of the RV, and provides smooth, controlled and orderly transitions between extension and retraction of the slide-out room.
In another preferred aspect, the drive system is a rack and pinion drive system which drives an elongated member which is pivotally connected to the rail. Thereby, a rack and pinion drive system may be used to operate the drive system, even though the inner rail maintains its orientation as it is lowered and raised during extension and retraction.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the detailed description which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.